Guarding Against the Dark
by Calie1
Summary: That's why when Eir had told him what had awakened the latent aether within her he'd stumbled back slightly and stared at her, knowing that pain and shock had shown in his eyes. Him, it was him. Magic had served him so well his entire life, and now it had reawakened the nightmare within Jane. (Just a random drabble series. I may or may not add more)
1. Chapter 1

Loki stood in the doorway and watched Jane dress herself. He looked at her, but he didn't really see her. "I'm sorry," he blurted out suddenly and focused on her. He hated apologizing, it was a weakness. He didn't want to love, it was a weakness also. Except Loki had found himself loving Jane, and he had finally accepted how that would change his life, even if he still found it hard to voice how much he cared. Jane understood his feelings, she understood his difficulty in expressing them, and she was okay with that.

Loki had made peace with his feelings for her and had privately gloated that he had something, someone, that would care about him without expectations or reason. She was his, and he'd decided long before that she would stay that way. Her health and safety was his priority.

That's why when Eir had told him what had awakened the latent aether within her he'd stumbled back slightly and stared at her, knowing that pain and shock had shown in his eyes. Him, it was him. Magic had served him so well his entire life, and now it had reawakened the nightmare within Jane.

It was his magic the aether was drawn to, his dark magic. It had moved within her body, swirling in her eyes. And when he'd touched her skin it flowed to the point of contact. In a fit of anger he'd lashed out unknowingly with his magic, wanting to fight it, and succeeded in pushing it back down into it's dormant state. But she'd screamed and collapsed in his arms as a result. He hadn't hated himself so much since the death of his mother.

She turned and looked at him, her face slightly pale and drawn. "It's not your fault."

"Don't say that," he said and pushed off the door sill. "It's always my fault."

"Loki…"

"Everything that I touch is tainted. If it wasn't for me-."

"You didn't put the aether there!" She exclaimed loudly. "It wasn't your curiosity that drew me to get infected. And even if it wasn't your magic to awaken it, someday it would have happened, you have to know that!" Jane sighed and closed the distance between them. "I don't blame you, so don't blame yourself. If it wasn't for you I'd still be fighting it. You helped me."

Her hand touched his arm and he glanced down at it, grateful for the distraction. Finally, he looked up. "I'll find a way to get it out of you." She smiled softly up at him and Loki sighed. Unable to punish himself any longer, because he was selfish above all things, he slid his arms around her waist and pulled her against him.


	2. Chapter 2

Loki was nothing if not aware when he slept. Over a thousand years and he was by no means going to be caught unaware. Every sound, every shift drew him from slumber. It made for poor sleeping habits, but he'd adjusted a long time ago.

That was why he found himself staring up at the darkened ceiling, noting a chill in the air. He turned towards the open doors and cursed himself for having slept too deeply. He was out of bed in an instant and moving towards the open doors. As he stepped over the threshold he spotted her, sitting on the ground, leaning against one of the concrete columns and staring out over Asgard. "Jane…" He started carefully. To his relief she turned to face him, but her eyes were wide and empty. She was looking at him, but she wasn't there, not really.

Loki stepped forward slowly, and she flinched in response. It wasn't from him she pulled away from. He'd discovered long ago it was the pulse of his magic that made her jerk away when she was like this. It was only through slow and careful steps would she not fight him. As he neared her, even in the darkness, he could make out the ring of her eyes shinning eerily blue, the blackness that clouded the whites of them, which slowly disappeared only to come back again. It swam within her eyes, taunting him, reminding him how close it was to the surface.

When he reached Jane he kneeled before her, holding his breath as he readied himself for what he had to do. "Don't fight me Jane," he told her softly, more a plea then a request.

"Loki?" She asked and blinked as if she was slowly waking. She was in a way.

At her recognition he raised a hand to her cheek, let his fingertips brush it gently before settling his palm firmly against it. With a slow push of his power he forced the aether down, far and deep. He watched her eyes become clear, but he wasn't done. It fought him, but it was weak, it was only a shadow of what it once was, the drips that got left behind. Loki was stronger and he smothered it, his jaw clenching with anger as it fought still to take back what it thought belonged to it. Mine, Loki thought, and with that one angry thought it lost its energy and relented, shriveling back. Jane whimpered.

With a deep shaky sigh Loki relaxed and slid his hand behind her neck, drawing her to him. The chill of her skin was a shock to his own, which said a lot. With a pass of his other hand over her arm he cast a warming spell.

"Is it gone?" Jane whispered shakily, arms wrapped tightly around him as she buried her face into his neck.

"For now," he responded and glanced over her should at the stars beyond, not really seeing. "I'm going to take care of it. I swear it." It was his fault after all. It was his relationship with Jane that had awakened the residual aether within her. It responded to his magic and was drawn to power, dark power, his power. She only nodded into his neck.

After a moment he stood, pulling her up with him. She was steady on her feet, and he was relieved for that, because there were other times she'd collapsed from the strength the aether seeped from her.

As they walked over the threshold he waved his hand and the doors closed behind him. Her body carried her to their bed and she crawled in, burrowing under the covers. Loki crawled in behind her, pulling her body against his own.

"I don't think I could sleep," Jane whispered in the darkness. "I see things."

"A dreamless sleep then?" He asked, but she quickly shook her head.

"No, I'll be fine."

No, she wouldn't be. Loki pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder and held his lips there.

"Loki, no," she sighed sleepily. "I said-."

"Sleep," he said against her skin. "I'll be here." She shook her head slightly, fighting it, but doing so was impossible and soon she gave way to his magic and relaxed against him as she slumbered. Loki sighed in relief and drew her closer, burying his face into her neck and again swearing to himself he would fix this, that he would fix her.


	3. Chapter 3

He's slicing a dagger across a throat and watching a copy of himself fake out another attacker when the seed of an idea is planted in his mind. Loki drops the dead body to the ground and stares out over the carnage before him as he plays out what has happened. The attack was sloppy at best. There was no finesse to it, just loud and pure brute strength, which made them so easily discovered. Loki turned slightly, ignoring the yelling, and stared out over Asgard. Someone came to attack him and with an annoyed snarl he waved his hand and threw them against a wall, body snapping and crumbling to the floor.

It occurred to him soon enough that the point of attack was of no value. There was nothing to be gained from it. In the grand scheme of things nothing of importance would be harmed where they battled. Loki snapped his head upwards and then it hit him. He would have stumbled with the force of his realization if he had been a weaker person. "No," he whispered once and ran, ignoring Thor's calls behind him.  
-

He wanted to be wrong. He wanted to open the door and find her standing out the window with worry for his safety. Except when he threw open the door she wasn't at the window. There were many of them in the room, to many for even most Asgardian warriors. It didn't matter, not when the only thing he cared about was sprawled on their bed, her vacant clouded eyes staring at him, but not really seeing, and the being at her side, hand raised over her, calling the aether. Her back was bowed from the effort, chest raised into the air.

What happened after didn't matter. They were dead within moments, in broken heaps of blood and frost bite. They died with their eyes wide in shock and fear, screams dying on their lips.

Loki fell to his knees beside her, and pressed his hands to his chest. The aether fought him with a force it never had before. Loki snarled in response. Mine, he told it. It defied him, but Loki wouldn't give her up to anyone or anything. She whimpered and he found he had to ignore the tears escaping her closed lids if he was going to help her. Even when she cried out, body bucking, he pressed his forearm over her stomach to hold her down. Then her eyes snapped open and she was looking at him, really looking at him with blackness clouding her eyes.

"I'm tired Loki," she whispered. "I don't-."

"No," he snapped, anger replacing his panic and fear. Anger was better. Anger he could work with. "Don't you say it. You don't get to give up. I'm to selfish to allow it." Then he pushed hard, ignoring her scream, pulling her hands away from where she fought him, and then she stopped. Her body crumpled to the bed and he glanced up to see clear eyes flutter closed. She was breathing, and that's all that mattered.

The doors to the balcony flew open, shattering with the force of Thor's hammers. Loki looked up into Thor's shocked face.

"Does she live?" Thor asked, seeming to hold his breath.

"This time," Loki responded and turned to her. With a weak sigh he dropped his forehead against her stomach.  
-

Thor watched his brother converse with Eir from the doorway of the healing rooms. Footsteps at his side alerted him to their father's presence. "Everything is secure."

"I never doubted it wasn't," Odin responded and stopped at Thor's side.

"It was Jane," Thor said in amazement. "They were after Jane."

"So I can tell from the state of Loki's chambers."

Thor recalled the slaughter he'd come upon. There had been no grace to the kills, just pure, unrestrained fury. "I know she poses a risk to us, but-."

"Forcing her away from Asgard will do nothing," Odin interrupts, already having predicted Thor's train of thought. "Loki would go with her with resentment in his heart. Here she is safe." Odin pauses for a moment. "We'll help him find a way. I fear for your brother's sanity if we don't."

Thor sighed and watched his brother sit at Jane's side. "I worry for us all," Thor responds. What was even more worrisome is that their father didn't argue.  
-

Again Loki sighed and rested his forehead against her, taking comfort in the warmth of her thigh through her clothing. Something brushed his hair and he turned his head to look up the bed into her heavily lidded eyes. She smiled down at him. After all of that Jane smiled at him. Her small hand settled over his cheek, thumb brushing over it gently and he found himself having to close his eyes against his emotions.

"I'm sorry," she said gently, "for giving up."

At that his eyes snapped open and he grasped the hand at his face and raised his head to kiss the top of it. "It's of no matter. I'll be stubborn enough for you. I'm not letting you go, ever."


End file.
